Albums Kendrick Lamar - GNX (Official Album Thread)
- Thread starter H.J.Duck
- Start date
Didn't get to the last 2 on the ride home.
I'll be the contrarian: he leaned a bit too much into the West Coast/100 BPM Mustard sound a bit too much for me. Squabble Up and TV Off are the best offerings in that lane.
Luther and Hey Now are the weakest to me though I'm sure both can function as singles. I'm in the minority but Dodger Blue ain't blowing my mind either.
Wacced Out Murals
Man in the Garden
Reincarnated
Heart Pt. 6
Gloria
Are the high points and Squabble Up and TV Off round out the Top 7.
I get that this is the "hyper-Cali shuddup and rap on bops so we can play it in the hood" project everyone wanted, but with the year 2024 playing out how it did for Kendrick himself and society at large, I expected a stronger commentary on where the culture stands. He had a chance to create a time capsule so to speak.
This may be one of the rare cases of an album benefitting from more tracks. 2-3 of the reflective lane I was looking for may have balanced out the bop dosage.
The cohesion also is far under his standard. I'm not sure if it's been confirmed in all these pages but I wouldn't be surprised if the mixtape angle is true. If not, this is his weakest album, but that essentially makes it the shortest in a family of giant.
Feels like a 7.5/10.
I'll be the contrarian: he leaned a bit too much into the West Coast/100 BPM Mustard sound a bit too much for me. Squabble Up and TV Off are the best offerings in that lane.
Luther and Hey Now are the weakest to me though I'm sure both can function as singles. I'm in the minority but Dodger Blue ain't blowing my mind either.
Wacced Out Murals
Man in the Garden
Reincarnated
Heart Pt. 6
Gloria
Are the high points and Squabble Up and TV Off round out the Top 7.
I get that this is the "hyper-Cali shuddup and rap on bops so we can play it in the hood" project everyone wanted, but with the year 2024 playing out how it did for Kendrick himself and society at large, I expected a stronger commentary on where the culture stands. He had a chance to create a time capsule so to speak.
This may be one of the rare cases of an album benefitting from more tracks. 2-3 of the reflective lane I was looking for may have balanced out the bop dosage.
The cohesion also is far under his standard. I'm not sure if it's been confirmed in all these pages but I wouldn't be surprised if the mixtape angle is true. If not, this is his weakest album, but that essentially makes it the shortest in a family of giant.
Feels like a 7.5/10.
Sauce and Footwork
Superstar
i done played reincarnation back so many times .
Life stories are completely different.. artistically, obviously different.. but how they approach and view their work, identical.Track 1.
My first thoughts. Although he seems to have all the love from the media, fans and critics.. It really bothers him that his peers don't treat him as "that nikka"(outside of Nas who he shares a manager with)
It's gonna be interesting to see how he moves in the #1 spot. It's different not being the underdog. Ironically he has a lot of the same gripes that Drake has on No Face.
Millennial shyt. Always searching for love and acceptance while pretending you don't care.
Edit: and both are obviously the best of their generation… but acceptance is a bi***
zayk35
Superstar
Game has. shyt was flames
Game makes such good music shame how he dropped the ball on his on career
Revolutionary
All Star
Congrats to him.First review from Stereogum: Instant classic.
Premature Evaluation: Kendrick Lamar ‘GNX’
Rap music is miraculous. You could be staring down what promises to be a lazy Friday afternoon, the week before a holiday, and then you could glance at your computer and realize that the world has changed. The album that you’ve been waiting on, the one that you didn’t want to presume to expect...www.stereogum.com
I suspect this album to be sitting at 95/100 on metacritic.
Revolutionary
All Star
This is so musically layered...another masterpiece from a musical genius 
I can't stop playing the Heart Part 6
Womb Raider
sigh….*unzips pants*
I’m loving this jawn so far. It does seem this project is just bangers and good tracks by Dot, not necessarily any cohesion but I like what I’m hearing. Prolly the second album of its kind (DAMN) but I liked both of those over everything besides GKMC. TPAB wasn’t that good to me.
Revolutionary
All Star
Crazy its not even the album, and that shyt is already being discussed as an instant classic
the new GOAT
the new GOAT
Best beat on the album
Black Excellence
All Star
Very reasonable & you fully explained your points. I disagree but I can see your perspective & it makes sense.
The Heart Pt. 6
